Numerous different apparatus arrangements and methods of apparatus control are known for application to the cooking of certain foodstuffs such as parfried potato segments by immersion in hot cooking oil to obtain a desired or preferred degree of cooked product doneness. Such apparatus and methods have heretofore generally depended upon the sensing of hot cooking oil temperature levels for effectiveness.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,778 issued to Martino, for example, constantly senses cooking oil bath temperature and actuates a reversible electric motor to cause removal of the cooked product from the hot oil bath when a desired bath oil temperature has been attained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,423 issued to Volz discloses a deep-fat fryer apparatus having a solid state control enabling operation of the apparatus in any one of several different modes, including a "cook" mode but apparently without attempting to establish degree of foodstuff doneness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,094 issued to Polster discloses deep-fat fryer apparatus also having a solid state control but with a capability for determining rate of cooking in combination with detected elapsed time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,320 also issued to Polster discloses an improved temperature-sensing probe utilized in deep-fat fryer apparatus to detect and integrate different hot-oil temperatures associated with different oil bath zones for cooking oil bath temperature control purposes.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,625 issued to Ceste discloses a control arrangement for deep-fat fryer apparatus which facilitates operation of the apparatus in different modes including a cooking mode but without attempting to determine or detect cooked product doneness.
The above-identified prior art discloses the most relevant knowledge known to applicants regarding deep-fat frying apparatus and apparatus control for purposes of establishing cooked product doneness. Such prior art, if determining or detecting cooked product doneness, unnecessarily sense oil bath temperature levels to control an automatic cooking process. Improved deep-fat fryer cooking control advantages can be obtained automatically in fryer apparatus without having to detect and time cooking oil temperature conditions.